Give to the NGC

About the foundation

Founded in 1997 under the leadership of Jean-Claude Delorme, O.C., O.Q., C.R. (1934-2006), the National Gallery of Canada Foundation is a not-for-profit registered charity dedicated to achieving sustained private financial support for the Gallery.Read more

As a Member of our larger family, you will enjoy the many benefits that the Gallery offers. Read more or contact us: 613-990-1298 | 1-888-268-0455 | members@gallery.ca

NGCMagazine.ca

The National Gallery of Canada Magazine

The NGC’s online magazine—a frequently updated source of information about the Canadian art world and the goings-on at the National Gallery of Canada. This online magazine includes exclusive interviews with artists; studio visits; interactive features; videos; short films; photo galleries; recommendations on exhibitions, films and books; as well as behind-the-scenes access and developments in the world of art that readers will not be able to find anywhere else.Go to ngcmagazine.ca now » Subscribe to the Magazine eNewsletter »

Seven Ravens, 1989

"These handmade valuables were ways of recording our history…I see blanket designs in terms of what they add to our culture. They are not commodities, nor are they commercial ventures, but they are ceremonial objects."
– Dorothy Grant, 1986 and 1991
The title of this work refers to a traditional oral narrative about seven Raven sisters who eventually became a constellation. The story opens in a previously blissful community whose members have fallen into a state of despair. Eagle holds a feast to mark the occasion on which the Young Ones would receive their names and to restore hope and pride among the residents of the kingdom. The community bursts to life in preparation for the gathering. Busiest of all were the seven Raven sisters, who were very fond of Eagle and wanted to help make the feast as lavish as any had been in their former days of glory. They prepared special delicacies, sewed blankets, and wove spruce-root into baskets and hats. When night fell following the successful festivities, the sisters took flight and reappeared as seven sparkling stars in the constellation known as “The Seven Sisters.”